Newslinks for Friday 14th March 2025

March 14, 2025

PM to abolish NHS England in £800m gamble

“Sir Keir Starmer has announced he will abolish NHS England in a gamble that will cost the taxpayer up to £800 million. The Prime Minister said it was necessary to scrap the quango in charge of running the health service to redirect “hundreds of millions of pounds” to the front-line and cut waiting lists. However, with the cost of cutting 10,000 jobs potentially nearing £1 billion, he will quickly face pressure to prove that the reforms pay off for patients. It is understood ministers are prepared for the significant upfront cost and are in discussion with the Treasury about what shape redundancy packages will take.” – Daily Telegraph

NHS England axed – FT
Streeting’s ‘high-stakes’ abolition of NHS England will cut 10,000 jobs – The Guardian
How NHS England went so wrong – Daily Telegraph
NHS England gone: the rise and fall of the world’s biggest quango – The Times
Streeting’s ‘shock’ at scale of NHS struggles inspires big political gamble – The Guardian
The Blairite behind Labour’s NHS overhaul – Daily Telegraph
What are Starmer’s reforms — and will they be effective? – The Times
Finally! Patients to be put before NHS bureaucrats – Daily Mail
Civil servant held three government jobs at same time – with WFH blamed – the i

Comment

>Yesterday:

Putin: Peace deal will be on my terms

“Vladimir Putin has told Donald Trump he backs the “idea” of a ceasefire in Ukraine, but he would only agree to one on his own terms. The Russian president knocked back the US proposal for an immediate 30-day pause in the fighting on Thursday, saying he had “serious questions” about how it would be implemented that he needed to discuss with Mr Trump. Speaking at a press conference in Moscow, Putin said he wanted any deal to “lead to long-term peace” and “eliminate the original causes of this crisis”, suggesting he was unwilling to relent on his evisceration of the Ukrainian state. “The idea [of a ceasefire] itself is correct, and we certainly support it,” the Russian leader said, “but there are nuances that we need to discuss”. – Daily Telegraph

Hopes of an immediate ceasefire fade as Putin highlights sticking points – The Times
Putin questions Ukraine ceasefire plan – The Guardian
And Putin’s response to ceasefire deal is a red flag – Daily Telegraph
Surrender or die: Putin’s message to surrounded Ukrainian troops – The Times
Trump: Putin ceasefire refusal would be ‘disappointing for the world’ – Daily Telegraph
Zelensky blasts ‘manipulative’ Putin – The Sun
And Zelensky slaps down Trump as he refuses two demands – Daily Express
What Putin will do next – Daily Mail
Powell: the veteran negotiator being lauded over US-Ukraine détente – The Guardian

Comment

>Today:

Reeves faces cabinet backlash over welfare reform

“Rachel Reeves is facing a cabinet backlash and backbench rebellion over plans to cut public spending and overhaul the welfare system. The chancellor will either need to increase taxes or cut public spending in an attempt to fill a £20 billion so-called black hole caused by anaemic growth rates. On Tuesday the prime minister secured an agreement from cabinet that Labour would stick to its “iron-clad” fiscal rules as Reeves attempts to balance the books before her spring statement.” – The Times

Starmer suffers cabinet uprising over spending cuts – FT
Over half of Cabinet urges Reeves to rethink spending cuts – Bloomberg
Freezing PIP is our red line, rebel Labour MPs warn Starmer and Reeves – the i
Reeves faces Cabinet revolt with allies on ‘resignation watch’ – Daily Express
Sickness benefits soar under Labour – Daily Telegraph
Economy shrinks unexpectedly in blow to Reeves – The Guardian
Another blow for Reeves as economy shrinks – Daily Express
Savers get another chance to stash £20k before Reeves’s Isa raid – Daily Telegraph
Trump threatens 200% tariff on European wine – The Times
Burnham pushes for £200m in government funding for Old Trafford regeneration – FT
Siddiq used fake signature to transfer flat to sister, Bangladeshi prosecutor alleges – FT

Comment

>Today:

Reform UK 1) Huge Reform poll boost as party takes lead in crunch by-election

“Reform UK is in the lead in new polling on the crunch Runcorn and Helsby by-election. The research by Lord Ashcroft Polls puts Nigel Farage’s party ahead of Labour by 40% to 35% when respondents are weighted on their likelihood to vote, with the Tories third on 10%. But Reform’s lead over Sir Keir Starmer’s party extends to nine points by 42% to 33% when only respondents who say they are certain to vote are included. Under this scenario, the Conservatives are on 11%. The insurgent party came second with 18% at the 2024 general election, with Labour taking the Cheshire seat with 53% of the vote share and the Tories third on 16%.” – Daily Express

Comment

>Today:

Reform UK 2) Frost: Conservatives shouldn’t dance on Reform’s grave

“This clearly isn’t about, or not only about, the personality clash between Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe and the unedifying trading of accusations on social media. More important are the underlying disagreements about policy and tone. Reform have attracted not just mainstream conservatives despairing of the Tory Party, but also a different and often younger group, the “very online Right”, as some call them. Even if Rupert Lowe doesn’t endorse all these views – and I don’t believe he would – his campaigning certainly seems to be aimed at this group. Farage can see that these ideas mean death to Reform’s efforts to go mainstream.” – Daily Telegraph

Science Secretary uses ChatGPT to come up with policy advice

“The Science Secretary has used ChatGPT to come up with policy advice, records have shown. Peter Kyle, the Cabinet minister with responsibility for artificial intelligence, asked the chatbot why small businesses in the UK had been slow to adopt the technology. He also requested suggestions for the “best podcasts” he could appear on to reach a “wide audience”, as well as definitions for terms such as “digital inclusion”. The Government has been pushing for the private sector to make the most of the technology, saying it wants to help British businesses “embrace AI” to boost productivity and grow the economy… records obtained by the New Scientist magazine under the Freedom of Information Act reveal how the technology is being used at ministerial level.” – Daily Telegraph